Refrigerator



June l9, 1945. J, y s 2,378,524

REFRIGERATOR Filed April 23, 1941 I I Q g m i w l l J P v Q Q N N ff.

' INVENTOR. BY NOF/Vfl/V J YZ/P/L E5 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 19, 1945 UNITED! STATES. PATENT OFFICE mesne assignments, to Gibson Refrigerator Company, Greenville, Mich., a corporation of 7 Michigan Application April 23, 1941,Serial No. 389,828

4 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to refrigerating apparatus of the compressor-condenser-expander type; and more particularly to a-novel arrangement of the compressor and condenser with a refrigerator cabinet whereby cooling air is caused to circulate through the condenser and over the compressor solely bythermal action.

In devices of the prior art where the compressorand 'condenser have been air cooled, it has beenthe practice to utiliz a fan for circulating air over the compressor and through the condenser. Various attempts-have been made to dispense with the fan and effect a circulation of cooling air solely by thermal action. However, the prior devices of this latter class have not been entirely satisfactory because of the fact that in certain designs the cooling airpasses over the compressor before it passes through the condenser, with a resulting loss of efliciency in the condenser. Attempts have been made to'overcome thisobjection by locating the condenser below the compressor and ina generally horizontal position.

Such an arrangement cannot be utilized effectively in many modern refrigerators, because the side walls of the cabinets extend to the floor.

That prevents the circulationof air beneath the bottom of the cabinet and-up through the condenser.

It is the principal object of the present inventionto provide "an arrangement of parts whereby the compressor and condenser are cooled" by air which is circulated solely by thermal'action,'and wherein the above recited disadvantages .of the prior art are avoided' This object is accomplished by 'mountingthe compressor within the machinery compartment at the bottom of the cabinet adjacent an open side thereof, providing a vertically extending air conducting flue having its lower end located adjacent-the upper extremity of the open side of'the machinery compartment, and mounting an upright condenser in an inclined position with its lower extremity juxtaposed to the lower edge of the open side of the machinery compartment and its upperextremity located out side of the machinery compartment'and'below but within the lateral confines of the flue. With this-arrangement the heat generated within the compressor and condenser induces a circulation of air along a-plurality of pathways. of the cooling air passes through the condenser into the machinery compartment, over the compressor-and thence into the flue without passing through the condenser a second time. Other por tions of the cooling air pass through the condenser and into the flueexteriorly of the ma- A portion 7 chinery compartment. By this arrangement of parts an entirely satisfactory cooling of the compressor and condenser is obtained'without sacrificingthe advantage of having} the condenser arranged in an uprightposition whereby the compressed refrigerant can be admitted at the top of the condenser'as it isreceived'from the compressor and withdrawn as a liquid from the bottom of the condenser. v

This object and others ancillary thereto will become more apparent in the following specification when read-in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a-top plan view of a refrigerator embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is arear-elevational view of the refrigerator, a part thereof being broken awayto more clearly disclose the construction thereof;

and

Figure'B isa side-elevational view of the refrigei'ator, a part of the side wall being broken away to show the arrangement of the condenser and compressor.

The invention is embodied in-refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet Ii). In the upper part of the cabinet is a storage compartment, access to which is efiected by a door H. Below the storage compartment is amachinery compartment l2. The machinery compartment is enclosed on three upright sides by a (100! E3 and the two side walls of the refrigerator cabinet. The bottom of the machinerycompartment is formed by the base 9 ofthe refrigerator cabinet. In the back of the machinery compartment 12 1s a large rectangular opening M. .The vertical edgesof the opening are formed, by portions of the back wall [5 of the refrigerator cabinet. Specifically, these portions are two vertically arranged metal plates I6 attached to thejopposite side walls of the cabinet. On the adjacent edges of the plate i-S are oppositely extending integral tabs l! and Hi. The two tabs I'Tand I8 on each plate iii are arranged in the same vertical plane. a

Located between the plates 16 and attached to the tabs l1 and I8 is a condenser I9; The com denser comprises a conduit 20 bent into serpenpendicular, as shown in Figure 3'. e The lower edge of the condenser is mounted just within the machinery compartment and adjacent the lower edge of the opening Hi. The upper edge of the condenser IQ is located outside of the machinery lation of cooling air.

compartment and is spaced from the upper edge of the opening M to permit the escape of warm air from the machinery compartment without necessitating its passage through the condenser.

A compressor 22 of the air-cooled type is mounted within the machinery compartment l2 centrally of, and as near to the condenser l9 as it can be conveniently located. The compressor is connected by a pipe 8 to the conduit 29 at the upper edge of the condenser. The other end of the conduit 20 at the lower edge of the condenser is connected in the usual way to a conventional evaporator (not shown). The connections are such that the warm, gaseous refrigerant is pumped by the compressor into the condenser I9 at the upper edge of the latter, and as the refrigerant liquifies it gravitates downwardly. The liquid refrigerant collects in the lower part of the condenser, effectively preventing the escape of unliquified refrigerant into the evaporator.

A flue 23 is attached to the back wall l of the refrigerator cabinet. The flue may be made of any suitable material. It is a three-sided structure, open at its top and bottom ends. Together with the back wall I5 it forms a chimney for carrying away the heated air from the condenser 19 and the machinery compartment l2. The lower end of the flue 23 is located in proximity to the upper edge of the condenser and to the upper edge of the opening I4 in the machinery compartment.

The effect of the arrangement of the condenser l9, compressor 22 and flue 23, insofar as the circulation of air is concerned, is practically selfevident from Figure 3 of the drawing, wherein the arrows indicate in a general way the paths of the air. When the cooling system of the refrigerator is in operation, the warm refrigerant is pumped by the compressor 22 into the condenser l9 where it gives up its heat to the air surrounding the condenser. As the air absorbs heat from the condenser 19, the air rises and flows upwardly and inwardly through the condenser. Some of the air near the top of the condenser flows directly into the flue 23, while the air passing through the lower part of the condenser flows inwardly and over the compressor 22 before it rises into the upper part of the machinery compartment and out through the upper part of the opening 14. The compressor is warmer than the condenser and the air that passes through the condenser. Hence the cooling air that passes over the exterior of the compressor absorbs considerable heat therefrom. Thus, the air cools the compressor and as the temperature of the air rises in consequence of the absorption of heat, it tends to flow more swiftly out of the machinery compartment and up the flue 23. The chimney effect of the flue is thereby increased and the overall efliciency of the condenser-compressor is improved .because of rapid flow of cooling air. All of the air passing inwardly through the condenser l9 escapes into the flue 23 between the adjacent edges of the condenser and the upper edge of the opening I4. This heated air does not repass through the condenser.

With the arrangement of parts disclosed, the opening I4 is the only opening in the machinery compartment necessary for the adequate circu- In fact, for most effective circulation of cooling air, additional openings to the machinery compartment are undesirable.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides a novel arrangement of the compressor and condenser for refrigerating apparatus which effectively avoids the disadvantages inherent in the prior art devices.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a machinery compartment, said compartment having an opening in one upright side thereof, said opening being the principal outlet opening for air from. the machinery compartment, a condenser mounted in an inclined position in close proximity to said opening, said condenser being substantially coextensive with said opening, the lower edge of said condenser being adjacent the bottom of the compartment and the upperedge being outside of the compartment and spaced from the adjacent edge of the opening,

and a compressor within the compartment adjacent the condenser.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a machinery compartment, said compartment having an opening in one upright side thereof, a condenser mounted in an inclined position in close proximity to said opening, the lower edge of said condenser being closely adjacent the bottom of the compartment and the upper edge being outside of the compartment and spaced from the adjacent edge of the opening, and a vertically extending flue secured to a wall of the refrigerator cabinet and having its lower end in proximity to the upper edge of the condenser whereby to induce the circulation of air inwardly through the condenser and upwardly into the flue between the upper edges of the condenser and the opening in the machinery cornpartment,

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a machinery compartment, said compartment having an opening in one upright side thereof, a condenser mounted in an inclined position in said opening, the lower edge of said condenser being within the compartment and the upper edge being outside of the compartment and spaced from the adjacent edge of the opening, a compressor within the compartment adjacent the condenser, and a vertically extending flue-secured to a wall of the refrigerator cabinet and having its lower end in proximity to the upper edge of the condenser whereby to induce the circulation of air inwardly through the condenser, over the compressor, and into the flue between the upper edges of the condenser and the opening in the machinery compartment.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a machinery compartment, said cornpartment having an opening in one upright side thereof, a condenser mounted in an upwardly and outwardly inclined position adjacent said opening, the lower edge of the condenser being juxtaposed to the lower edge of the opening and the upper edge of the condenser being spaced outwardly from the upper edge of the opening whereby to provide a passageway for the escape of air from the compartment between the upper edge of said opening and the condenser, and means located exteriorly of the cabinet and adjacent said passageway for inducing a current of air outwardly through-said passageway.

NORMAN J. YERKES. 

